Fathom Lite vs Pirsch
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Fathom Lite | Pirsch |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,019 | ★ 1,030 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Fathom Lite and Pirsch?
Fathom Lite
Fathom Lite is the open-source edition of Fathom Analytics, providing simple, privacy-focused website analytics. It targets users who want a lightweight self-hosted analytics tool. It is deployed as a single binary or via Docker.
- Simple privacy-focused analytics
- Single-binary deployment
- No cookies
- Lightweight dashboard
Pirsch
Pirsch is a Go library for server-side, cookie-free web analytics. The open-source repository provides the tracking and statistics code you embed in your own application; the hosted pirsch.io dashboard is a separate commercial product.
- Cookie-free tracking
- No personal data collected
- Lightweight tracking script
- Go analytics engine
Fathom Lite vs Pirsch: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Fathom Lite versus AGPL-3.0 for Pirsch. Fathom Lite is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pirsch. Fathom Lite is the more established project (first released 2018), while Pirsch arrived in 2020. Fathom Lite has the considerably larger community, at 8,019 GitHub stars versus 1,030.
Why pick each one
Choose Fathom Lite if…
- Very easy to run
- Privacy-friendly
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Lite edition no longer actively developed
- Basic feature set
Choose Pirsch if…
- GDPR-friendly by design
- Fast and efficient
Watch out for
- Self-hosting needs assembly
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is Fathom Lite or Pirsch better?
Fathom Lite is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pirsch if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Fathom Lite and Pirsch free and open-source?
Yes. Fathom Lite is licensed under MIT and Pirsch under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fathom Lite and Pirsch with Docker?
Fathom Lite: yes. Pirsch: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Fathom Lite or Pirsch?
Fathom Lite has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pirsch. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.